Celebrating the first Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day

Today (10 September) is the first 'Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day', and HM Coastguard colleagues are joining with the international maritime and aviation community to celebrate the unique role they play in Search and Rescue.   



In brief, Cospas-Sarsat is the system that detects and locates emergency beacons activated by aircraft, ships and people engaged in recreational activities in remote areas and then sends these distress alerts to search-and-rescue (SAR) authorities.  

It means that if you are in distress anywhere in the world, by using the alert system, it will send your co-ordinates (location) to the relevant SAR authorities. It’s estimated that over 60,000 lives have been saved worldwide since its inception in 1982. 

There are 33 Mission Control Centres (MCCs) across the globe which serve as Ground Stations where distress alerts are received and validated before being transmitted to appropriate Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) and SAR Points of Contact (SPOC).  The UK’s MCC is primarily conducted from the JRCC at Fareham, with additional MCC operators at MRCC Holyhead for resilience. 

Team Leader and MCC Operator Paul, MOO and MCC Operator Sarah , MOO Martin , Team Leader and MCC Operator Rhys

Chris Hopkins, Satellite Communications and UKMCC Manager is based at the JRCC in Fareham. He said: 

"Today we’re marking the first-ever Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day. This year, the focus is on MCC Operators and the crucial role they play in global search and rescue, collaborating with international partners and ensuring that distress alerts are received, processed, and passed on without delay. 

"Their professionalism and attention to detail help save lives every day, often behind the scenes they are the unsung heroes and this day is for them"

Read how an EPIRB saved the life of a sailor whose yacht sank off the Wales coast HERE.

What does Cospas-Sarsat consist of? 

  • Beacons – EPIRBs (maritime use), ELTs and ELT (DT)s (aviation use) and PLBs (personal use). 
  • Satellites – SAR satellites provided by various nations and organisations. 
  • Local User Terminals (LUTs) – these are the antenna or ‘golf balls’ on the airfield at Daedalus. 
  • Mission Control Centres (MCCs) – the Ground stations that receive the alert data from the LUTs and will forward it onto the agency responsible for SAR in the domain in which it is located. 

How does it work? 

Using spacecraft and ground facilities, it detects and locates 406MHz distress signals from emergency beacons on boats, aircraft, and individuals.  

These signals are relayed to Local User Terminals (LUTs), which process the signals, extract beacon identification data, and determine the beacon's location.  

This information is then forwarded to the Mission Control Centre (MCC) and subsequently to the appropriate SAR point of contact (SPOC), such as the UK Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre or Police Service. 

Each MCC across the world is grouped into a Data Distribution Region (DDR) to facilitate the sharing of distress alert data. 

 

Location: Fareham, UK

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